September 12, 2018
Pennsylvania

Legal costs mount for opponents

By Judy Dolgos-Kramer | Times News | September 11. 2018 | www.tnonline.com

Fighting an industrial wind farm can be expensive.

The number of residents objecting to the Atlantic Wind turbine project proposed for Penn Forest Township is impressive, but the group is being strained by the cost of fighting the industrial wind giant.

“We have raised over $120,000 exclusively for legal expenses,” said one of the best-known opponents of the project, Marcus Laurence. “But fatigue always sets in.”

“We have been actively fighting for two years. It’s a shame that residents have had to put their hard-earned money into defending their property rights.”

Laurence feels that the money is being well-spent to assure that the Penn Forest Zoning Hearing Board is given all of the information needed to make an informed decision regarding the application to build a wind turbine facility in the township.

There are two separate applications in play for the project. The first application for up to 37 turbines is currently “deemed approved” and is the subject of litigation in the Carbon County Court of Common Pleas.

A second application is the subject of ongoing hearings before the zoning hearing board and for fewer turbines, but much larger ones.

Laurence added that anyone interested in helping the objectors is welcome to donate to the group by visiting www.saveouralleghenyridges.org and clicking on the Penn Forest Township Chapter link at the top of the page.

SOAR is a nonprofit organization and all contributions are tax-deductible.

“We have spent a lot of money on this project, money that could have purchased baseball uniforms, been donated to the food pantry or reinvested in the township,” Laurence added.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2018/09/12/legal-costs-mount-for-opponents/